suffocate

suffocate (http://definr.com/suffocate)

     v 1: deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing; "Othello
          smothered Desdemona with a pillow"; "The child
          suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents
          had left on the floor" [syn: smother, asphyxiate]
     2: impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of;
        "The foul air was slowly suffocating the children" [syn: asphyxiate,
         choke]
     3: suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of;
        "His job suffocated him"
     4: be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child
        suffocated under the pillow"
     5: feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air; "The room was hot
        and stuffy and we were suffocating"
     6: struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake; "he
        swallowed a fishbone and gagged" [syn: gag, choke]